1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to Internet websites, and more specifically to web pages organized in such a way that a user can browse through all the available types of wire mesh products of a particular supplier and select one for purchase.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Wire mesh and wire cloth come in many different combinations of weave, material, mesh sizes, wire diameters, and welding. Although hundreds or thousands of different combinations are possible, it may not be practical for a particular supplier to offer all the combinations. Some combinations of weave, material, mesh sizes, wire diameters, and welding are also not manufacturable, e.g., a wire diameter that is so large the mesh openings are closed up or exceeded.
Buyers can often make ordering mistakes in selecting a wire mesh or wire cloth because the impossible or unavailable combinations are sometimes too subtle to understand. Ordering the wrong thing can be frustrating for all those involved. The Internet now makes it possible for users to log onto a business"" website to select and order products.
Suppliers like TWP, Inc. (Berkeley, Calif.) offer at least three families of mesh materials, e.g., woven wire mesh, welded stainless steel mesh, and galvanized hardware cloth. The woven wire mesh includes a range of traditional to ultra-fine, high-tech alloy, screen materials. The welded stainless steel mesh is a strong, precise material with an accurate grid pattern and relatively large holes. The galvanized hardware cloth includes a range of steel mesh protected by a heavy-duty zinc coating, e.g., for use in outdoor and industrial environments. Such materials are conventionally stocked in 36-inch and 48-inch wide rolls in 100-foot lengths. But rolls up to 300-inches wide can be bought on special order.
Wire cloth is the proper name for what is commonly called screen or mesh. Such material is known for its high strength, wear resistance, ability to withstand high temperatures, and long service life. Wire cloth is woven like textile cloth. So-called market grade wire cloth are woven wire meshes suitable for general purpose work.
Materials that can be used include stainless steel type 304, brass, copper. A line of special woven meshes are available in stainless steel type 316, aluminum, bronze, inconel, nickel, steel and epoxy-coated steel. The user""s choice of metal is determined by the product-operation environment and constraining cost considerations.
The wire-mesh hole size, e.g., the distance between two adjacent parallel wires, is a function of both the mesh count and wire diameter. Changing either will change the opening size. The usual opening sizes vary from one-inch openings down to microscopic. The choice of a wire-mesh opening size is determined by the desired sizes of objects to be retained or allowed to pass through. The mesh is the number of openings in a linear inch, measured from the center of one wire to a point one-inch distant.
Two weaves are conventionally available, plain and twilled. The plain weave has an over-one/under-one weave. Such type of wire cloth has square or rectangular openings, and is the simplest and most common weave used in screening and separating applications. The twilled weave is woven with an over-two/under-two weave with wedge-shaped openings. Such weave is generally considered stronger than plain weave and is often used in filtration.
The typical welded stainless steel wire mesh is formed of wires that are fused together at their junctions into a grid. Automatic welding looms are used that accurately position all the shorter (weft) wires over the longer (warp) wires and spot-weld the intersections. These special looms can produce strong, consistent welds without any burning or discoloration.
The standard welded-stainless-steel-wire-mesh material is type 304 stainless steel because of its high corrosion resistance and strength at elevated temperatures. Type 304 stainless steel is also referred to as xe2x80x9c18-8xe2x80x9d, meaning eighteen percent chromium (18% Cr) and eight percent nickel (8% Ni). TWP, Inc. also provides stainless steel types 304L, 316, 316L and other stainless alloys on request.
Standard welded wire mesh openings are always square or rectangular, and range from 0.218 inch to 0.979 inch. Meshes from 4-mesh to 1-mesh are usually stocked, and much larger meshes with up to 10-inch openings and 0.393 inch wire diameter can be obtained on special order.
Galvanized hardware cloth is typically used in partitions, grills, vents, cages and guards, wherever economical, sturdy, corrosion-resistant material is required. Galvanized hardware cloth is a lightweight, economical steel mesh that is protected from atmospheric corrosion by the application of a heavy duty zinc coating, e.g., hot-dip galvanizing. The zinc coating encapsulates the mesh for excellent corrosion protection and a firm, non-raveling product.
The hardware cloth openings are relatively large compared to those of woven mesh, e.g., they range from 0.108 inch to 0.459 inch. The galvanizing process slightly decreases the opening size by about 0.004-0.006 inches. Several special hardware cloth specifications called vent meshes offer larger open areas for increased air flow rates. Readily available galvanized hardware cloth is stocked in 2-mesh, 4-mesh, and 8-mesh. Other special meshes are manufactured as required. The 2-mesh and 4-mesh is available woven or welded and the 8-mesh hardware cloth is woven.
An Internet wire-mesh merchandising system embodiment of the present invention comprises a webserver that generates a web presence. Potential customers looking to select and buy wire mesh are allowed to log-on to a website operated by a wire-mesh retailer, distributor, and manufacturer. An HTML product page includes navigation buttons that link to other HTML product pages. Each page further includes JPG or GIF type pictures that allow the shopper to see a particular wire mesh product corresponding to a presently displayed HTML product page. A group of altemate-view buttons link to other pictures of the same product that show variations or different perspectives. A set of four navigation buttons permit the shopper to hyperlink to HTML product pages where the wire mesh is finer, coarser, thinner, and thicker. Once the link is taken, a graphic is presented that corresponds to the selected wire-mesh. The list of hyperlinks includes only those HTML product pages that represent available combinations of wire-mesh material, wire size, and mesh count. A xe2x80x9cpricexe2x80x9d and an xe2x80x9corderxe2x80x9d hypertext allow the shopper to see the product price for the selected item and to order it electronically.